his headquarters and presence at Andersonville. He should likewise have general supervision over the prisoners at Macon, the officers in charge there reporting through him.

J. A. S.,

Secretary.

SPECIAL ORDERS,
ADJT. AND INSP. GENERAL'S OFFICE, No. 133.
Richmond, June 8, 1864.

* * * * * *

X. Colonel J. A. Gilmer, Jr., Twenty-seventh North Carolina Regiment, is assigned to the command of the post and military prison at Salisbury, N. C. He will proceed to that place with the least practicable delay and relieve Captain G. W. Alexander from duty at said post.

* * * * * *

By command of the Secretary of War:

JNO. WITHERS,
Assistant Adjutant-General.

MAYOR'S OFFICE, Houston, June 8, 1864.

Major General J. B. MAGRUDER,

Commanding District of Texas, &c.:

DEAR SIR: The board of aldermen of city of Houston, by resolutions passed at their last regular meeting, have instructed me to communicate to you the fact that the negroes and persons of color, some thirty in number, captured by the forces under your command from the enemy and considered as prisoners of war are now going at large within the city of Houston, mixing and associating with our slave population, contrary to the laws of the State of Texas and to the laws of the Confederate States; and they further instructed me to request you that these persons be ordered by you to be removed from our midst to work on the fortifications, or that they be turned over to the civil authorities and to be sent to the penitentiary under the State law. In complying with the wishes of the board of aldermen, I beg leave to remark that the same matter was laid before you by me in the beginning of this year, that an order was promptly issued from your headquarters ordering the negroes spoken of to be confined. Subsequently, however, that order was modified and partially revoked, and the "Yankee negroes" are now freely ambulating within our city. Numerous complaints of our best citizens have been made to the authorities, and it seems that the whole community is alarmed. The most evil influence is exerted by those negroes, who, most of them, are intelligent, shrewd, and capable to read and write, and try to obtain a mastery over our slave population. It is true a portion of those negroes are employed by the city and are guarded, but they are not under the exclusive control of the city. They are frequently sent for by officers to do special work, and so the city cannot be responsible for their conduct. Most of them, however, are employed as body servants to different officers, and thus enjoy the very best opportunity to obtain information and communicating the same to our negroes.

General, therefor you is of the greatest importance to the welfare not only of this city, but to the country at large, and I deem it my solemn duty to request you to give it your immediate attention. The board of aldermen do not desire anything else but that the negroes alluded to be restrained from associating with our home negroes.